Dungeons & Dragons Adventures
by W. Shepard
Summary: A collection of encounters following a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I joined with my friends. They may seem a bit choppy or random, because I only turn the interesting things into a story. Please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Kat approaches the nest that holds her target. Her purple eyes narrow at the sight of the vulture. It is huge with wings nearly eight feet each in length, and a scar over the left eye. The half-elf spits as she recalls the beast that was taken from her by the vulture the previous day, causing Shiva to turn her yellow eyes on her owner in a silent question. Kat scratches the panther's white-fur and opens a bond link with her companion.

" **Sorry girl, I am still pissed about yesterday** ," she communes through the bond. The woman receives a feeling of understanding followed by a bloodlust.

" **That we agree on Shi** ," Kat says through the bond, using the panther's nickname.

She uses the bond to explain the plan to Shiva and they both nod to each other, Shiva drops low and stalks through the tall grass towards the nest while Kat readies an arrow and draws a bead on the vulture. She takes a deep breath and holds it for several seconds. As she releases the air she sends the arrow straight into the vulture's side. The bird screeches in surprised pain as Shiva leaps from stealth, dragging her claw across its chest. The vulture spreads its massive wings and takes to the sky.

"Amahn Shiva, Amahn," Kat yells out. Shiva turns instantly and sprints towards her.

Unfortunately the panther isn't fast enough as Kat realizes a half-second too late. The vulture dives at Kat and digs a talon into the woman's shoulder, raking her leather armor and tunic underneath into shreds. Kat cries out in pain as the nerves in her shoulder are set on fire; adrenaline numbs it a second later. The bird of prey flew above them to make another strike, but that is what Kat was counting on. She shifted the longbow to minimize the pressure on her shoulder and fired again, this time striking the vulture's lower-abdomen. The bird seemed unfazed as it made another dive at the half-elf, but Shiva was ready this time. Kat saw a blur of snow-white fur as Shiva leapt in front of the blow, which sent her tumbling several yards to Kat's right.

"SHIVA," Kat screamed as the bird returned to the sky.

She reached the panther just before the vulture dove again. Kat grazed Shiva's head with her fingertips and formed another bond-link. As it solidified in her mind Kat instantly felt the pain that Shiva felt. The woman staggered, caught by surprise.

" **Just stay down Shi. I can handle this from here thank you** ," Kat communed with the bond and felt confirmation from her companion.

The bird was half-way to them by the time Kat was able to draw her bow. The arrow flew through the air into its target and Kat flew backwards over Shiva, both talons carving into the woman's chest. Shiva's golden eyes watched her master sail in slow motion and her instincts snapped within her. The vulture limped slowly towards where the half-elf laid in a steadily-growing pool of crimson. It made it three yards away from her when Shiva slammed into its side and raked a claw deep into the bird's flesh. As the bird screeched in pain Shiva hoisted herself up with the still-imbedded claw, and sank her fangs into the vulture's exposed neck. The panther quickly twisted its neck and the crack of vertebrae echoed out, as silence fell over the plains. Shiva released the vulture and looked over at where her master remained motionless. The panther threw back its head and roared.

Chibi stood outside the monastery's massive doorway as he sent a quick prayer towards his God. As he opened his eyes and began to walk inside he heard something faint; a sound he thought, at first, to be his imagination. But as he listened it was repeated, and he knew it had to be Shiva. Katherine's face flashed through his mind's eye and he took off at a sprint down the street.

"I think Kat's in trouble! Come on, she might need a healer," he said as he crashed through the inn's door, startling the dwarf working inside. He cursed into his beard and jumped onto the monk's back, and they practically flew towards the plains. They approached the scene eight minutes later. Katherine was lying on a bed of crimson grass, motionless. To her right a massive vulture, riddled with arrows and a broken neck, was dead and Shiva sat between the two. The dwarf climbed down from the monk's shoulders and held out his hands. He used a spell of healing on the half-elf, closing her wounds and stopping her from bleeding out. When the light had faded, Chibi knelt down and poured a healing potion into her mouth. Several minutes passed before Kat slowly opened her eyes. She gave them a weak smile and glanced towards the vulture.

"It… was worth it," She managed to choke out.


	2. Chapter 2

Kat didn't like this... silence that hung in the air like cobwebs. They were also exposed currently. She never liked an area lacking cover; it made the back of her neck itch. Ahead of her Chibi, Sage, and Gramryl were following their guide: a young woman who had brought them to her town that had been wiped out only a week prior. They would have preferred that she had stayed at Trader's Pass where they had found her but she was needed to open her town's gate. Kat ground her teeth together as she glanced at the twenty-yard tall fortification that surrounded them. If the assassins that they hunted were still here it would be very hard to maneuver should they choose to fight. The center appeared to be the remains of a marketplace, with three second-story houses to the left and right. She relaxed her jaw, as it had begun to ache.

"So where are the bodies," Chibi paused to look at the houses that had a surprising lack of damage. The monk knew firsthand the damage that the assassins were capable of and it was so much more than this. He glanced first to Gramryl and then to Kat and gave them a small nod.

"Pam, why are the houses intact? The assassins have not been known to leave much behind," The monk asked, one of his eyebrows rising in suspicion. Without turning to look at them she shrugged her shoulders.

"I know not why they didn't level the town in the first place. Perhaps you can ask them when you find them," She responded in a voice that almost irritated Chibi. He glanced back to his companions one last time, shrugged and in a motion that reminded Kat of lightning striking the top of a mountain he separated Pam's head from her body and bent down to wipe his blade clean on the grass.

"Whoever you are you should know one thing," The monk's voice boomed through the silence.

Several moments passed before a man wearing a dark robe and hood stepped from behind one of the houses, slowly clapping his hands.

"Oh, I didn't know that you assassins hired children to do your work," Chibi said while he lazily popped his neck.

"The girl was simply under a spell of mine," The robed-man said with a smirk as he cast an almost humorous glance at where Pam's body lay in a crumpled heap. He then turned back to fully face Chibi and the rest of the party.

"She lived here with her parents and grandparents not two weeks ago and now that her purpose is finished she can join them in death as well," The man spoke dismissively, like a farmer would speak of his cattle.

"Now then let's not waste any more time. Archangel speaks well of your party's skill in combat, and Tripwire was personally impressed with you Monk," He said as he took his cloak off and threw it into the dry fountain. His arms both had dark lines tracing down to the wrist in a pattern Chibi recognized.

"It's ironic that your deaths will be my doing, since the others wanted to finish you. Know that Mushi of the Seekers of Eternity will bring your end."

The monk's eyes widened as two things seemed to happen at once. The man put his hands together and began chanting a mantra under his breath, and four zombies came shambling from a nearby house. The four adventurers fell into formation immediately: Kat and Sage fell back several paces as Chibi moved to stand between Gramryl and the approaching undead.

"Emathanbanal, scum," Kat whispered with the draw of her bow.

Chibi didn't waste a second as he vaulted forwards to come eye to eye with one of the corpses. His glaive came crashing into the zombie's jaw and easily cleaved through the rotten flesh. The monk used his momentum and spun one-hundred and eighty degrees. The side of the zombie's head caved in under the force of Chibi's kick. Before his first target had hit the ground the monk sent his glaive flying end over end into the head of a second undead. He leapt into the air, landed on the zombie's shoulders and ripped his weapon free. Before he vaulted off the corpse he made sure to snap its neck, just to be safe, he thought.

Kat saw Mushi open his eyes and move to where Chibi would land, a dagger reflected sunlight as it travelled towards the monk's back.

 _Too slow, shemlin,_ the ranger thought. She let the arrow fly a little ahead of Mushi, and even before it found its mark Kat was smiling. The arrow embedded itself several inches above his elbow. The smile fell from the ranger's face as she saw Mushi turn and look directly into her eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly in what Kat would call annoyance. The ranger leapt backwards several times putting distance between herself and Mushi, and notched another arrow. The arrow flew without pause but the assassin was waiting for it. He twisted smoothly to the side and the arrow passed without touching the man.

"I've got your back, elf," Chibi yelled over to Kat.

"Don't look away from your opponent," Mushi yelled as he kicked Chibi in the stomach and followed it with a spinning roundhouse kick, which sent the monk several feet backwards. The monk wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled before he leapt at Mushi and started another round of hand-to-hand combat. Kat's attention was drawn to the corner of her eye as she saw another man dressed like Mushi appear from a separate house. He had orange hair and green eyes that burned her own as she looked into them. He slammed both hands onto the ground and sent a pulse of magic through his arms. The nearby piles of corpses that littered the marketplace began to cling together, until they formed something like an undead ogre. Kat groaned to herself and fired several arrows at the second mage. Her attacks had no effect against the flaming shield that circled him. The elf realized her mistake as soon as the massive ogre cast its shadow over her, the tree that it had uprooted for a weapon raised above her. A heartbeat before the club came crashing down her vision suddenly was filled with white and she smelled… fur?

"SHIVA," the elf screamed as her companion took the blow for her. The snow-furred cat was sent spinning into the nearby wall. The ogre looked Kat in the eye as it stepped on her companion, her friend. There was a sickening sound as the panther was turned into a red paste. The elf starred past everything, having lost her complete sense of the battlefield. She screamed, a deep and primal scream filled with rage as she let loose a flurry of arrows at the ogre.

"Attacking it won't bring her back." Kat's eyes widened when she heard the words whispered into her ear. She was struck from behind then.

"Nothing will bring her back," this time said from in front of her. She was then struck from in front.

 _Good, something is invisible,_ she thought to herself sarcastically. She was only able to notice the tree that slammed into her at the last moment and the ogre sent her flying into the wall as well. Mushi was still locked with Chibi in combat but with speed like none of the party had seen he blinked to were Kat was struggling to get up. He grabbed the woman by the throat and lifted her into the air.

"Any last words, elf?" His tone was not cruel just plain, as if he knew this would have happened regardless. Kat spat on his forehead in response.

"Arathe'banal," she managed to choke out in Elvish. Mushi shrugged and snapped her neck with a flick of his wrist. He dropped her body into a pile on the ground and turned to the others. Chibi was right behind him already with his fist winding up. The monk made contact with Mushi's forehead and the assassin was turned into a red mist. He fell to one knee panting but smiling nonetheless.

"Gramryl, get out of here," he whispered as he collapsed unconscious. The walls lowered suddenly as the second assassin jumped into the forest and ran. The dwarf made his way over to Chibi and began to cast his healing magic. His eyes darted to Kat's body and the red puddle he assumed to be her panther. He closed his eyes tightly; he needed to focus on healing Chibi anyways.


End file.
